


Bravo Romeo Alpha Tango

by tawnyPort



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: (sort of), Dancing, Established Relationship, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Politics, Tango
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-16
Updated: 2013-11-16
Packaged: 2018-01-01 16:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1046249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tawnyPort/pseuds/tawnyPort
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erwin Smith had more power in his right shoulder than any other person in that room possessed in their entire body.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bravo Romeo Alpha Tango

His chair scraped and the room fell into silence. The only person who seemed to keep their awareness that they ought to breathe as he approached Erwin’s seat was Hanji, who grinned and moved toward the edge of the space that had been cleared for a makeshift dance floor. The closer you got to the interior, the more capacity people had for including the most frivolous bullshit with their dinners, and apparently having the Commander making his first public appearance in several weeks was cause enough for fresh meat, soft bread, and a record player providing an undercurrent of music for the evening. It had taken only a few flicks of his eyes to get Hanji on board but, even though Levi knew Erwin had seen him, he wasn’t sure the Commander was entirely interested in what Levi had in mind.

Oh well.

“You ignored my cabeco.” He stood behind Erwin’s shoulder, a hand extended between him and whoever the stuffed shirt to his right was.

“It was indiscreet. This is worse.” Erwin’s voice was even but low. He didn’t want to do this. Of course, he also hadn’t been at the other end of the table watching himself struggle with the fork in his offhand and listening to overfed politicians talk about whether a man who couldn’t cut his own steak anymore was capable of leading by far the most expensive division of the armed services.

“Come on. You’re getting lazy and we both know I do all the work anyway.” The Commander’s shoulders moved slightly as he sighed. “Don’t make me dance with Hanji. She drops me.”

“He kicks me!” There was no venom in Hanji's retort. She was too busy with the phonograph, an ancient thing with a formidable brass horn.

“You are a terrible dancer, of course I kick you. Now.” Levi bobbed his hand, fingers extended, palm up, once. “I thought the entire point of this affair was to make sure everybody knew you were up and around again and to stop them predicting your death by sepsis from titan teeth or whatever else they’ve been saying. I am personally insisting on a more thorough demonstration.” The fact that it wasn’t on his own behalf was irrelevant.

“Levi…” Erwin finally looked at him, his tone full of warning but his face drawn with something else entirely. That simply wouldn’t do.

“I’m not going to go away after having approached you in front of all these people until either you agree to dance with me or they all agree that you are a cad for turning me down. I do have my dignity.”

The grinding of Erwi’s teeth was almost inaudible but Levi was familiar with the way his jaw shifted when he was truly irritated. He waited as the Commander finished the end of his wine then pushed his own chair back, standing in a single fluid motion and utterly ignoring Levi’s offered hand. He pushed past him and made his way to the dance floor, Levi following. “Please, squad leader, at least put something short on.”

“Certainly, Commander.” Of course, she was just going to put on what Levi had told her to, but it wasn’t an inappropriate feint. Levi already doing his utmost to make sure that the absurdity of this event was in high relief; Hanji, for her part, was showing that the Commander did still retain authority among his subordinates. Levi was acknowledged as the wildest card in Erwin’s deck so his insubordination would surprise no one.

Levi slid in until he was facing Erwin, grabbing his left hand and gripping Erwin’s right shoulderblade as the percussive violins announced the song Levi had chosen. Erwin’s eyes narrowed but Levi kept his face as expressive as he could. “That looks very good. I commend you for taking on a character so early.”

“We are not doing the opening lifts. Go directly into the next eight.” Erwin’s left arm pulled Levi in until their faces were nearly touching, ensuring both that it was obvious to the observers who was leading and that Levi couldn’t get the space he’d need to force the lifts. Erwin shifted a little in place and Levi clamped down on a smile. He didn’t need to know which foot to start with but it was refreshing to see that Erwin did in fact intend to do this thing properly.

Didn’t mean he fully intended to comply, however. He didn’t need space to turn, drop, and thrust his right leg out. It was a better starting position in his opinion. More dynamic, naturally, but it also gave a more natural lead in to his stepping back on his right foot when they moved. It would just be clunky otherwise and that would defeat the purpose. He was more than capable of gracefully lifting himself out of it in the absence of Erwin’s right arm for support.

Dropping his awareness of the absence of warmth on his back where Erwin’s arm and hand should have been was proving a little more difficult, however, and he could tell Erwin was struggling with it as well. Levi could move through the tricky opening footwork based on sheer muscle memory but Erwin was relearning how to use all those muscles, how to compensate for the changes in his body’s balance now that he was short six kilos or so on his previously dominant side. His left foot was too close when he crossed it behind and Levi slammed his toes into it, making them both wince. He glanced up expecting to see anger but Erwin’s eyes were heavy with disappointment. That wouldn’t do. “Do you want us both to end up missing parts like you? Sharpen up,” Levi murmured as they both crossed again and moved toward the center of the floor.

“You should lead then.” Levi scoffed at the quiet reply.

“Bullshit. We both know that would end in disaster. You lead, I follow, or I don’t follow and then you don’t have to answer for me.” He flicked his left leg between them and guided Erwin into the steps leading up to the turn. He could feel the frown his face deepening. The entire point--well, one of the points--of this was to show that Erwin was still capable of leading, but he was more than willing to let Levi push him around. Garbage.

“How’re we going to do this, then?” Levi kept his hand just above the end of Erwin’s stump as they moved around each other, squeezing it as he kicked his right leg high behind the Commander’s shoulders. Erwin’s arm should’ve been around him, circling under his armpit and supporting him in the kick, but instead Levi had to cling to what was left of it just to get Erwin to set his balance right for the next step. Something in him ached as he thought about it. Maybe this had been the wrong decision, but he couldn’t have known that without trying.

“Use your other arm.” Did he have to do all the thinking? “Do you really think I need your help keeping my knee bent?” Erwin’s eyes narrowed again but he nodded, just a little, and Levi nodded back. Good. That was more like it. 

They turned into the setup for the lift. Levi braced his left arm off Erwin’s shoulder but left figuring the rest out to the Commander. In his peripheral vision he saw Erwin turn until he was facing away from him and felt a hand in the small of his back: Erwin’s _left_ hand. Erwin crouched and Levi started the jump, feeling the fingers of the Commander’s non-dominant hand spreading out to support him. This would be the make or break moment, he suspected. It would be difficult to recover from a drop or a fall now.

Or at least a drop. Levi knew he damn sure wasn’t going to just _fall_ like that.

Levi rose on the strength of Erwin’s left arm and, as he reached the top of the lift, reached down with both hands and gripped the Commander’s shoulder and what was left of his upper arm where they were raised. The lift felt oddly balanced compared to what he was used to--Erwin was facing the wrong way and much more of Levi’s weight seemed to be in his legs now that he was supporting himself on Erwin’s right shoulder--but the critical thing was that it worked. He was airborne, holding a deep bend over Erwin’s head, and Erwin was looking up at him. Of course, now they had to sort the dismount with Erwin backwards, but he was confident they would manage it.

Erwin pressed the heel of his hand hard into the small of Levi’s back and murmured, “Sit down.” Levi could only take him literally so he lifted his arms from Erwin’s shoulder, arching himself up to something like a sitting position, and let himself drop as Erwin’s hand fell away. They only had a beat and a half but it was more than possible. He let his left arm land on Erwin’s shoulders as he fell and, to his surprise, he felt the Commander’s left arm under his knees, positioning him on Erwin’s right hip where he would’ve been in the first place. Erwin released Levi’s legs and grasped his right hand, turning them back to face the audience as Levi cycled his legs for the end of the dismount. Perhaps not the finest way of achieving it but they’d done it and there was no discounting the value in that.

Levi’s feet touched the ground once more and he turned in for the tight abrazo before the next set of steps. “Now, for the next one--”

“You’re on your own. You didn’t need my help for it before.” If Levi lingered for an instant against Erwin as the Commander moved forward, well, that was his own faltering after such a jarring dismount and could surely be forgiven. This was as close as he’d been to Erwin for months--even before his injury, everything that was happening with Eren, the constantly changing strategies, the unceasing barrage of breaches and losses, all had conspired to keep them from even a moment alone--and he wasn’t going to take it for granted.

“Remember you said that,” he replied, allowing himself a sly half-smile that grew wider when he saw Erwin’s reaction.

“What’re you--”

“Shut up and dance.” The violins and cymbals swelled. Forward, backward, forward, up and over with Erwin’s left hand behind him purely for show--

And the carefully tied knot at the end of Erwin’s stump came untied in Levi’s hands, the empty length of fabric hanging above him as Levi knelt on the floor and snapped his head back. He refused to look up at Erwin now; it would ruin his line, after all. He stood, taking Erwin’s left hand in his right again, placing his left hand on Erwin’s upper arm, and moved right into the next series of turns.

Even without the bracing of his right arm, Erwin was forcing Levi around the dance floor now. His shoulder pressed against Levi’s forearm and the balance of his legs and hips made him an exceedingly powerful leading partner. As he’d hoped, undoing the knot had also let something loose in the Commander. If it proved to be anger, if this was some sort of social sin Levi had committed by forcing everyone there to acknowledge the price Erwin had paid for their security and the fact that it had changed him (and so, possibly changed the entire future of the Survey Corps), well, it would hardly be the first time he’d done such a thing. It was worth every scandalized glance or set of teeth being sucked right now just to see something come alive in Erwin again.

Erwin’s knee came up under Levi’s right hip, driving him up into a small impromptu lift near the end of the turns. When he came down and they finished the line, Erwin began backing Levi across the dance floor and it became clear, this was no longer just a show for the politicians and power hungry fat cats present. Erwin saw this now as a personal challenge, a gauntlet thrown by Levi, which was an interesting reversal of terms considering even learning to dance had been Erwin’s challenge to Levi long ago.

It had been intended as a way to civilize the gangster he’d recruited as well as a way to teach him the right way to use the Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear. Of course Levi was something of a prodigy coming in already knowing how to use it, but to use it and to use it properly were two different things. Ultimately it had proven to be of little use as a training tool because Levi persisted in remaining the most talented person to ever strap Maneuver Gear on regardless of Erwin’s attempts to rein him in, but as a civilizing influence it had proven somewhat more successful.

Neither of them anticipated it proving as seductive as it had, but then Levi always thought that was a lie on Erwin’s part. Otherwise, why chose tango? Erwin swore it was the dance’s focus on a low center of gravity (as opposed to the European dances Erwin himself was more familiar with, where all the focus was on the arms and back) but the passion behind it and the stories associated with tango--all about strapping, macho compadres and their graceful, beautiful dancing partners, occasionally young women seeking lives as something better than hostesses or prostitutes, tales of noble-hearted men coming to the rescue of young women with dark lives--indicated an ulterior motive to be sure. Weeks of casual touches to adjust to position of hips and thighs by Erwin led to ganchos where they weren’t strictly called for from Levi, the hooking of a knee bringing those constantly adjusted hips and thighs into very close proximity more and more often.

Levi wasn’t prone to indulgence but he despised anything or anyone that didn’t present him with a challenge. Erwin had maintained the facade just long enough that when the tension finally did break--not over a night of too much vine and dancing as the sops in the Corps would believe, but rather when, after one last lingering touch, Levi had rapped Erwin on the head and said, “Just fuck me already,”--it wasn’t a defeat for either side but rather the deeply satisfying conclusion of a long campaign with both sides the victor. 

He jumped a little into the spin for the setup for the next lift--far and away his favorite and he liked to do it a little differently every time--but he also felt Erwin’s leading hand pulling him up. No more second guessing here. He focused all his attention on his core, anticipating the flip around Erwin’s back being infinitely more difficult than normal, but found instead as he thrust his legs up behind the Commander that the angle wasn’t quite what he expected. They were lower because Erwin had adjusted and was using his right leg as a platform under Levi’s torso to support him. He only had a split second to look up but Levi saw Erwin’s face as they completed the pose: _Trust me._

The Commander rarely had to ask twice.

Levi swung down out of the pose and glared at the onlookers as Erwin lowered him to the ground, daring any of them to comment, but all attention seemed to be where he wanted it, which was firmly on Erwin. That was good, considering the last big lift was coming here before the bridge. There was no conversation about it this time, no whispered strategizing. Levi took his last few pivoting steps around a largely stationary Commander Smith then braced his hands on Erwin’s shoulders. Erwin clearly had his own muscle memory as the stump of his arm also lifted, but Levi subtly adjusted his position and Erwin’s left hand was the one that came up under his hip. The reversed angle gave him a good opportunity to look out at the crowd again.

Lots of wide eyes and gaping mouths. They looked like so many cows, mindless beasts without more than a handful of thoughts to share between them. To think any of them considered themselves equal to Erwin Smith, considered themselves the one who should take his command away. Not only would it be irresponsible but downright dangerous.

He came down on Erwin’s left arm, draping himself across it and looking up at him. Finally, finally, Erwin was smiling. There was something a little mad in his eyes that unsettled Levi ever so slightly, but he knew how to felt to work again after you’d been injured and told not to. Even with his shoulder throbbing and knowing full well he would pay tomorrow, but right now they both needed to make their point in spectacular fashion. Besides, the song was only barely half done.

He stood straight again. The beginning of the bridge was softer, a less aggressive pace. A few walking steps, a conservative sentada that nonetheless strained Levi’s shoulder as he lifted himself through the twists. A long moment after that to allow him and Erwin the chance to catch their breath before the end. He was sweating, Levi noted; they both were, unaccustomed to dancing in warm dining rooms and in full uniform.

“You good?”

“I’m fine.”

“You better be.” Levi let Erwin guide him back to the center of the floor to position them for the next pose. Instead of switching hands they merely switched their grip, trading the traditional clasp for one that intertwined their fingers as Levi’s right foot rose past Erwin’s shoulder. He grabbed the back of his ankle and drew his leg up, starting the lean back. _You better not drop me._ Erwin’s only response was a look of mild annoyance.

Neither of them were the type of man to live in illusions of warm manor homes waiting somewhere safe in the interior when all this was done. They didn’t whisper words of solace or comfort to each other in the night no matter what ridiculous stories the squads told about them. The only promise they’d made each other was to have no promises. Nothing was guaranteed in a world where the people you served with could become the enemy you pursued in a heartbeat and the world just kept getting stranger and more lethal. It wasn’t romance but it was more than convenience. Maybe, if they were both alive and ever saw an end to humanity’s fight for survival, maybe then they’d talk about a future. For now, though, there was no future beyond ensuring the survival of the Corps and Erwin Smith as its Commander. Neither of them were the hand the other held to get through this. Still, now, knuckles burning as he gripped Erwin’s hand for support as he leaned back, nothing could have felt more natural than that grasp and the stretch to put distance between them around it.

Erwin brought his feet forward for him to brace against and Levi lifted back out of the bend toward him, his right hand coming forward as they moved to the far side of the dance floor. The music had dwindled to one dour, whining violin, but it was building as they slid, Levi backward, Erwin guiding, to the center of the floor. A single spin put Levi in position and as Erwin’s left arm dropped to lift Levi’s leg up, Levi lifted his right arm--which otherwise would have hung useless for want of Erwin’s right hand to grip--and wrapped it around the back of the Commander’s neck, going limp into the posture and demanding silently that Erwin carry his entire weight through the turns. He lolled his head back against Erwin’s shoulder, stretched his chest out into the most elegant line he could, and waited.

Erwin’s grip on his thigh tightened but he didn’t falter, whipping them around and around as they moved across the floor. Levi extended his right leg, preparing for the dismount, and acknowledged that something small and cold inside him was thawing. He’d been concerned that the loss of his arm might end Erwin’s career regardless of what he, Erwin, or anyone else involved wanted. After all, what could a one-armed man really do in Maneuver Gear? If this was any kind of permitted demonstration, Levi suspected there was still plenty.

The music crescendoed around them as Erwin held his position and Levi danced a handful of low kicks and a media luna before him, preparing his hips and legs for the lift that would take them into the finale. Erwin had denied him the pleasure of starting with it so when the Commander lifted him with telltale ease Levi arched his back deeply, the kick taking his feet high in the air and adding that much extra drama to the landing.

From there it was Erwin’s dance and Levi found he was just about hanging on. Erwin propelled them around the floor and when Levi jumped for the last long spinning lift, Erwin’s grip on his hand was painful. The Commander threw all his momentum into the spins and Levi tightened his hold on Erwin’s shoulders, ducking his forehead in against the other man’s as he drew his legs forward and together for the final moments. “You’ve lost your mind.”

Both their faces were slick with sweat but the way Erwin chuckled kept Levi from thinking too long about just how disgusting that was. “Have I? This was your idea.” He set Levi down gently but through the sheer force of his size he was still in complete control of the dance. The terminal bars of the song exploded around them as Erwin swept Levi from one side of the floor to the other, his feet moving effortlessly, his legs kicking to heights that rivaled Levi’s. The Commander didn't often get to show off his flexibility; he was more valuable on his horse than in the air. Even the final lift--an acrobatic freestyle vaulting move on Levi’s part that carried him around and around Erwin’s shoulders--felt less to him like a chance to show himself off and more a demonstration of the power and infallible stability that Erwin was capable of providing when he was focused on a goal and not distracted by things like threats to the Corps’ funding or his own career. The Commander caught him effortlessly and hefted him into the next set of steps. 

People might joke about Levi’s stature and size (at their own risk) but as the dance stormed to its close Levi felt every centimeter and kilo Erwin had on him and the strength he had behind them. Even without his dominant arm, Erwin had more than enough power in him to draw Levi with his left arm and, even to Levi’s surprise, to swing and force him down into the final split where normally he would have supported him down into it with his right arm.

The music ended and the room was as silent as it had been before they’d begun. Levi could feel how hard Erwin was breathing, how hard they were both breathing really though he disguised it better because he hadn’t been stuck in bed for the last two months. Slowly, Erwin stood, pulling Levi up with him.

“Corporal, you are dismissed.”

Erwin’s eyes glittered with a kind of command Levi hadn’t seen in far too long. Erwin Smith had more power in his right shoulder than any other person in that room possessed in their entire body. He knew it, Levi knew it, and now that the rest of them knew it as well he needed the rest of the meal undistracted to reinforce that point. Levi saluted, shaking arms and aching shoulders complying automatically, and strode out of the dining room without bothering to collect his jacket.

He knew he could count on Erwin to deliver it later.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-dkRUCuTqw).


End file.
